Natural gas fluid heating pre-start system

ABSTRACT

A fluid heating pre-start system includes a fluid circuit. The fluid circuit includes a circulating pump, a heat exchanger, and a fluid jacket coupled to a piece of equipment. The pre-start system includes a heater positioned to heat the fluid in the fluid circuit using the heat exchanger. The pre-start system includes a controller positioned to control the operation of the fluid circuit and the heater. The pre-start system may be run until the piece of equipment is preheated to a desired temperature before the piece of equipment is activated.

This application is a nonprovisional application which claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 63/309,385, filed Feb. 11, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD/FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the Disclosure

Engine driven equipment or other mechanical equipment may encounter environmental conditions cold enough to impair efficient or safe operation of the equipment. For example and without limitation, for an engine with an oil lubrication system, low oil temperatures may result in high oil viscosity, which may cause insufficient lubrication, debris clearing, and sealing properties for the engine, which may result in damage to the engine at startup. Similarly, transmissions and other oil-lubricated devices may encounter similar difficulties while starting up in cold conditions before the oil heats up during operation of the tool.

SUMMARY

The present application provides for a system. The system may include a fluid circuit, the fluid circuit including a circulating pump, a heat exchanger, and a fluid jacket coupled to a piece of equipment. The system may include a heater, the heater positioned to heat the fluid in the fluid circuit using the heat exchanger. The system may include a controller, the controller positioned to control the operation of the fluid circuit and the heater.

The present disclosure provides for a method of preheating a piece of equipment. The method may include engaging a heater; heating a fluid in a fluid circuit with the heater; pumping the fluid, through the fluid circuit, using a pump into a fluid jacket associated with the piece of equipment; and operating the heater and pump until the fluid temperature reaches a predetermined temperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a semi-transparent view of a piece of equipment including a fluid heating pre-start system consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the components of a fluid heating pre-start system consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a controller of a fluid heating pre-start system consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of various embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

FIG. 1 shows fluid heating pre-start system 100 consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure as installed to a representative piece of equipment 10. Equipment 10 may be, for example and without limitation, a generator that includes an engine and other systems. Such systems may encounter environmental conditions cold enough to impair efficient or safe operation of the equipment. For example and without limitation, for an engine with an oil lubrication system, low oil temperatures may result in high oil viscosity, which may cause insufficient lubrication, debris clearing, and sealing properties for the engine, which may result in damage to the engine at startup without the use of fluid heating pre-start system 100. Similarly, transmissions and other oil-lubricated devices may encounter the same difficulties while starting up in cold conditions before the oil heats up during operation of the equipment.

In some embodiments, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , fluid heating pre-start system 100 may include heater 101. Heater 101 may be a gas-fired heater and may be powered by gas inlet 103. In some embodiments, heater 101 may be fed natural gas used to power equipment 10. In some embodiments, heater 101 may include gas valve 105, which may be an electrically-controlled valve as discussed below. In some embodiments, heater 101 may include igniter 107, which may be a glow plug as understood in the art. Igniter 107 may be used to ignite natural gas fed to heater 101.

In some embodiments, fluid heating pre-start system 100 may include heat exchanger 109. Heat exchanger 109 may be fluidly coupled to fluid circuit 111 and may be used to heat fluid within fluid circuit 111 with heater 101. In some embodiments, fluid heating pre-start system 100 may include circulating pump 113. Circulating pump 113 may be used to circulate fluid through fluid circuit 111. In some embodiments, fluid heating pre-start system 100 may include temperature sensor 115, which may be a temperature switch, positioned to measure the temperature of fluid within fluid circuit 111 as it leaves equipment 10.

Fluid circuit 111 may extend to multiple parts of equipment 10, such that heated fluid within fluid circuit 111 may preheat components of equipment 10 before equipment 10 is operated. In some such embodiments, fluid circuit 111 may include one or more fluid jackets 117 positioned abutting components of equipment 10, such that heat from the fluid within fluid circuit 111 may be transferred to equipment 10.

In some embodiments, fluid heating pre-start system 100 may be powered by battery 119. In such an embodiment, equipment 10 may be operated remotely without the need to have an external power source to power fluid heating pre-start system 100.

In some embodiments, fluid heating pre-start system 100 may include controller 121. Controller 121 may be operatively coupled to components of fluid heating pre-start system 100 such that controller 121 may control the operation of fluid heating pre-start system 100.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of controller 121 consistent with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Controller 121 may include power outputs operatively coupled to and adapted to selectively power or control components of fluid heating pre-start system 100 including, for example and without limitation, pump output 123 coupled to circulating pump 113, igniter output 125 coupled to igniter 107, and gas valve output 127 coupled to gas valve 105. Through these connections, controller 121 may thereby control fluid circulation, operation of the ignition system of heater 101, and gas supply to and therefore heat output of heater 101, respectively.

In some embodiments, controller 121 may include electronics to control outputs 123, 125, 127 including, for example and without limitation, pump relay 129 and igniter driver 131.

In some embodiments, controller 121 may include temperature sensor input 133 positioned to receive signal from temperature sensor 115. In some embodiments, temperature sensor 115 may be used to control aspects of the operation of fluid heating pre-start system 100 including, for example and without limitation, controlling the operation of gas valve 105 and circulating pump 113. For example, in some embodiments, temperature sensor 115 may maintain the operation of fluid heating pre-start system 100 until a certain predetermined threshold temperature is reached, at which time heater 101 may be turned off, as equipment 10 has been brought to starting temperature.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that a person of ordinary skill in the art may better understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Such features may be replaced by any one of numerous equivalent alternatives, only some of which are disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. One of ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and that they may make various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 

1. A system comprising: a fluid circuit, the fluid circuit including a circulating pump, a heat exchanger, and a fluid jacket coupled to a piece of equipment; a heater, the heater positioned to heat the fluid in the fluid circuit using the heat exchanger; and a controller, the controller positioned to control the operation of the fluid circuit and the heater.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the heater is a gas-fired heater.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the gas-fired heater is powered by a gas inlet.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the gas-fired heater includes an electrically-controlled gas valve.
 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the gas-fired heater includes an igniter.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the igniter is a glow plug.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further includes a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor positioned to measure the temperature of the fluid within the fluid circuit.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the temperature sensor is a temperature switch positioned to measure the temperature of the fluid at the exit of the equipment.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the piece of equipment is a generator that includes an engine.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the piece of equipment includes components and wherein the fluid circuit has one or more fluid jackets abutting the components of the equipment.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to and adaptively coupled to selectively power or control the circulating pump, an igniter, the igniter included in the heater, and a gas valve, the gas valve included in the heater.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller includes electronics to control a pump relay and an igniter driver.
 13. A method of preheating a piece of equipment comprising: engaging a heater; heating a fluid in a fluid circuit with the heater; pumping the fluid, through the fluid circuit, using a circulating pump, into a fluid jacket associated with the piece of equipment; and operating the heater and pump until the fluid temperature reaches a predetermined temperature.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fluid is oil.
 15. The method of claim 13 further comprising measuring the fluid temperature of the oil using a temperature sensor positioned within the fluid in the fluid circuit at an exit of the piece of equipment.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the fluid is heated before the piece of equipment is operated.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the heater and circulating pump are powered by a battery.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein no external power is used to operate the heater and circulating pump.
 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising operating the heater and the circulating pump a by a controller.
 20. The method of claim 13 further comprising igniting the heater using an igniter. 